ATOVS Soundings Products

NOTICE:
On October 17, 2016, at 03 Z, the Metop-1 AMSU-A Channel 15 instrument failed. This degraded the IASI and ATOVS products, and they are not being made. A solution is being worked on.

The Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) consists of High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) and AMSU-B for retrieving temperature, humidity and ozone sounding in all weather conditions. The Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS), developed by EUMETSAT, replaced AMSU-B on NOAA-18, NOAA-19, and the European MetOp satellites. Currently the ATOVS is generating products from the NOAA-15, NOAA-19, MetOp-2, and MetOp-1. This instrument package provides information on temperature and humidity profiles, total ozone, clouds and radiation on a global scale to the operational user community.

Archives:   Select a Date

Retrieval Orbital Data File (RODF)

	NOAA-19		METOP-2		METOP-1
Retrieval Temperatures	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Retrieval Water Vapor Mixing Ratio	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Layer Precipitable Water	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Layer Mean Virtual Temperature	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Layer Thickness	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Retrieved Parameters	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Cloud Parameters	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Geopotential heights	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z

AMSU Orbital Data File (AODF)

	NOAA-19		METOP-2		METOP-1
Brightness Temperatures	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z
Retrieval Parameters	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z

HIRS Orbital Data File (HODF)

	NOAA-19		METOP-2		METOP-1
Brightness Temperatures	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z	0 - 12 Z	12 - 24 Z

There are two time periods available for each group of data:
– Time period 1 covers from 00z to 12z of the current day.
– Time period 2 covers from 12z to 24z of the current day.

The data are separated into the following groups:

RODF

• Retrieval Temperature: 40 levels of retrieved temperatures from 0.1 mb down to 1000 mb.
• Water Vapor Mixing Ratio: 17 levels of retrieved water vapor mixing ratios from 200 mb down to 1000 mb.
• Layer Precipitable Water: 15 layers of precipitable warer measured from 7-10 mb to 850-1000 mb.
• Layer Mean Virtual Temperature: 15 layers of mean virtual temperature measured from 7-10 mb to 850-1000 mb.
• Layer Thickness: 20 layers of thickness measured from 7-10 mb to 1012-1013 mb.
• Retrieval Parameters: 10 different retrieval parameters measured under RODF.
• Cloud Parameters: 5 different cloud parameters measured under RODF.
• Geopotential Height: 38 levels of geopotential heights from 0.1 mb down to 920 mb.

AODF

• LIMB-COR AMSU Brightness Temperature: 15 Channels of brightness temperatures.
• Retrieval Parameters: 8 different retrieval parameters measured under AODF.

HODF

• LIMB Adjusted HIRS Brightness Temperature: 19 channels of brightness temperatures.